Convertible shelves and table



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' E. B. WESTON.

CONVERTIBLE SHELV'ESAN'D TABLE.

Patented May 10, 18 98.

IIIII/IIIIIL (No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet. 2.

E. B. WESTON.

CONVERTIBLE SHELVES AND TABLE. No. 608,715. Patented May 10,1898.

a b g I I it q K .B Q Ti ll .UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD B. WESTON, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

CONVERTIBLE SHEL V ES AND TABLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 603,715, dated May 10, 1898.

Application filed April 15, 1897.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD B. WESTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of lVIontgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Convertible Shelves and Tables, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of structures in which a series of shelves are arranged to be readily and easily adjusted into a horizontal table or a series of steps at any desired angle or into vertical shelves for the ready and convenient display of goods or for such other purposes as may be desired.

In convertible shelves and tables as heretofore constructed it has been found difficult to obtain a solid substantial table, because the shelves when brought into the same horizontal plane have nothing to support them except thefside arms to which they are pivoted,

' and unless theseside. arms are constructed V cheapness and simplicity of structure required no such convertible shelves and tables have yet been constructed, so far as I am aware, which overcome this objection. Moreover, with the locking devices heretofore in use on these devices, which have been either hooks, sustaining arms, or bolts entering notches'formed at intervals in the frame or on the shelves, there are only a fixed number of adjustments for the device, and in a short time the wear on the parts causes undue play and the shelves cannot be fixed absolutely in any desired position. It has also been found difficult to obtain proper rigidity for the shelves within the limits of lightness and cheapness when adjusted at an angle or webtain a smooth even flat surface for the table when adjusted horizontally. It is to overcome these objections that my invention is particularly directed; and it consists, first, in an arrangement of stops on each shelf Serial No. 632,197. (No model.)

whereby the adjoining shelf may be supported; second, in a locking device which enables me to hold the shelves'rigidly and securely in any desired position without any liability of the parts wearing loose and afiecting the substantial character of the tables or shelves, and, third, in the supporting device for the outermost shelf, whereby all liability of the tipping of the shelf will be avoided.

' It is also my aim to arrange the shelves in as open a manner as possible, so that the goods displayed on the shelves may be seen from as many points of view as possible, and so that the goods maybe placed on the shelves from the sides as well as fi'om front and rear.

. This I accomplish by providing only one supporting-bar at each side instead of a pair of bars, such as are usually employed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my invention adjusted as a horizontal table. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the shelves when adjusted at an angle. Fig. 3 is a front elevation when adjusted in a vertical position. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of same. Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the lines 5 5 of Fig. 3, looking upward. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are details showing the locking device of the outer shelf. Fig. 9. is a perspective view of one of the brackets for the fixed shelf, somewhat enlarged.

A A are the supports or frames for sustaining the shelves, provided with casters, when desired, for convenience in moving and conneoted together by brace-rods a a to give strength and stability to the framework.

B B are the shelves, having secured along the side edges metallic bars or strips 1) b, the inner ends of which are provided with lugs o c, which look within the next succeeding notches d d, cut in the other end of thesestrips, and which lugs thus form stops for the next succeeding shelf to rest upon when the shelves are adjusted as a table. Each of these bars I) b is also provided with ears e e at or near the center, and by these cars each shelf, except the central one, is pivoted to the side rods or bars 0 O. The strips 1) of the central shelf are provided with bracket-plates f f and g g, by means of which'the central shelf is secured rigidly to the supports at the desired height of the horizontal table. One set of these brackets, ff, extends out above on a level with top surface of the fixed shelf, while the other, g g, extends below the level of the under surface of this shelf, so that when the shelves are adjusted as a table, as herein after described, the brackets ff will serve as a rest or stop for the upper edge of the side rods 0 0, while the other set of brackets g g will serve as a rest and stop for the lower edge of these side rods. The strips 7) b of the fixed shelf instead of having ears for the pivoting of the side rods 0 O thereto carry in place of the ears circular plates or disks of suitable size h 72, provided with radial ratchet-teeth Z Z on the faces thereof.

m m are corresponding disks provided with radial teeth to intermesh with the fixed plates h h and also with a central groove or recess on the outer surface thereof, within which the side bars 0 C fit. Passing through the side bars 0 O and these intermeshing toothed plates 7?. m and underneath the central shelf is a rod D, provided with a head nat one end bearing against one side of the rod 0 and screw-threaded at the other end and carrying an adjustable hand-wheel E thereon bearing against the outer surface of the other side rod. It will be evident from this construction that when the hand-wheel is tightened the pressure on the side bars 0 C will tightly lock together the intermeshing plates h m, and thus lock the bars and shelves in any desired position. It will be further evident that with small intermeshing teeth the different positions of adjustment will be greatly increased and that wear or looseness of the parts is at once taken up by the adjustment of the hand-wheel, a point of considerable importance in devices of this kind, the advantages of which have already been commented upon.

In order to hold the shelves always in a horizontal position and to serve as a brace and additional support, I providelugsp p, secured to the under surface of each shelf at or near the center at the back and extending out beyond the rear edge of the shelves with a horizontal upper bearing-surface r 1". To these lugs are pivoted the bar or rod F. The lugs 19 p, in addition to serving as means for pivoting the rod F to the shelves, also furnish with their horizontal upper edges 1" r rests or stops for the shelves when adjusted as a table, the front edges of the shelves resting on these stops, as will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 2, and thus we have three stops or rests for each shelf at the center upon the lugs 19 p and at each end on the lugs c 0. Thus for any weight except on the inner edge of the outermost or lowest shelf the shelves have sufficient rest and support to make a firm and rigid table with a smooth close jointed upper surface. Of course it will be understood that the shelves are located such a distance apart that the rear edge of one shelf will fit closely and snugly against the front edge of the next shelf. For the lowest shelf, however, to prevent its tipping, it is adunder the lug s and comes to rest against the shoulder t, thus holding up and locking securely the lowest shelf against any liability to tip slightly under pressure. When the shelves are to be adjusted into an angular or vertical position, these catches are released,

after which they swing out of the way, ex-

cept when the shelves are brought into a horizontal or table position, when these catches swing by their own weight into position under the lugs s.

As the rear bar F is pivoted outside the rear edge of the shelves I prefer to make the uppermost shelf somewhat wider than the others or to add a strip a to the uppermost shelf to cover and conceal the lug-pivot and the end of the rod F.

It hardly needs mention, but it will be evident from the construction described that, the shelves B B being pivoted by the bars 0 and F to the horizontally-fixed center shelf, when the band-wheel E is loosened the shelves can be swung into any desired position and that as the pivotal distances between the shelves remain constant the swinging shelves will retain their horizontal position parallel to the central shelf.

It will be noticed that in the above construction the fixed shelf is the central one. Of course it can make no difference in the principles of my invention whether the same number or a greater or less number of pivoted shelves are located above and below the fixed shelf; nor can it affect the essence of the invention even if all the shelves are pivoted, so long as the side supporting-bars are pivoted to the supports. For convenience of construction the strips 17 17, carrying the brackets f f and g g, by means of which they can be secured to the supports, also carry the central shelf; but the central shelf could be pivoted like the other shelves immediately above the brackets and the fixed shelf be omitted altogether without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a convertible shelf and table, the combination, with a series of pivoted shelves, a fixed shelf, and suitable supports therefor, of single side bars pivoted on the supports and to the shelves at or near the middle of the sides thereof, and a rear bar, pivoted to the shelves at or near the middle of the back portion thereof, with means for locking said pivoted parts, whereby the pivoted shelves may be swung in alinement with the fixed shelf and locked in any desired position, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a convertible shelf and table,the combination, with suitable supports, of a series of shelves, with bars pivoted thereto and tothe supports, radially-toothed plates on the supports, with corresponding tooth-plates on the bars at their pivotal connection therewith and a rod, with means for tightening same,

passing through said locking-plates, whereby same may be drawn together for locking the device in any desired position, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a convertible shelf and table,the oo1n-' 4. In a convertible table and shelf,the combination, with suitable supports, of a series of shelves with side bars pivoted thereto, and a rear bar pivoted to the shelves, said shelves carrying lugs at the rear corners and a lug at or near the center of the rear edges thereof to which said rear bar is pivoted, said lugs forming stops or rests for the next succeeding shelf, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a convertible shelf and table,the combination, with suitable supports, of a series of shelves with bars pivoted thereto and to the supports, catches pivoted to said bars at the meeting-point of the two lowest shelves,

shaped to catch under the lowest shelf when Witnesses:

LEO J. HEINREICH, GEORGE D. LEWIS. 

